Year 8s at Hampton Court Palace

On Tuesday 21st March, Year 8s went to Hampton Court Palace. We arrived at about 10:30am and we went to see an Elizabethan lady who explained that when Elizabeth I contracted small pox, there was a worry about who would be her heir. We learnt about the contenders for the throne – Mary, Queen of Scots and Catherine Grey and we debated about who would be best for the position; Catherine Grey won the battle of words!

Shortly after that we headed through the beautiful gardens (the daffodils were amazing!) to make our way to the maze. Mrs Lewis kindly got us all tickets to go in and we all had lots of fun finding our way out, although it did take some of us quite a while!

We visited Henry VIII’s apartments and saw lots of interesting things, including some beautiful paintings and tapestries and where the king used to spend his time. At lunchtime, we all played a game of tag in the amazing gardens, we then visited the kitchens and some of us had a go at using a real Tudor method of cooking meat, using a spit roast. We learnt that to cook the meat, someone would have to turn the spit very slowly for six hours!

We sat in the exact same spot as Henry VIII and many other royals and it was such an amazing experience. We had a quick look in the shop before getting on our coach back to Thornton. We all can’t wait to go back again!